Weiss' move from Emmaus to North Carolina pays off with golf scholarship

For her 16th birthday, Gabrielle Weiss asked for an unconventional present. She wanted to move South to play golf year-round.

Two years later, the former District 11 golf champ at Emmaus High remains convinced she made the right choice. Weiss, who relocated to Southern Pines, N.C., in 2011, committed recently to play golf at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Weiss received a scholarship offer from the school and is scheduled to sign her National Letter of Intent this fall. Weiss said the move to North Carolina helped her not only speed the college recruiting process but also find the right school.

"I miss my teammates at Emmaus, and I loved playing golf there," Weiss said during a visit to Saturday's Lehigh Valley Amateur Medal Play at Woodstone Golf Club. "But I think playing golf [in North Carolina] helped me to get noticed a little more, and I really liked everything about UNC-Greensboro."

Weiss, who will be a senior at Pinecrest High in Southern Pines, was a junior golf standout while growing up in Macungie. She qualified for the U.S. Girls' Junior championship in 2010 and then won back-to-back District 11 girls individual titles as a freshman and sophomore at Emmaus. In 2011, Weiss won the district title by 11 shots.

That year, Weiss asked her parents whether she could move to North Carolina to play golf year-round. The family relocated, and Weiss took advantage of the opportunity.

Weiss last fall tied for fifth at the North Carolina Class 4A girls tournament, where her team placed second. She played regional American Junior Golf Association events and is ranked among the top 300 girls in the country.

Weiss made unofficial visits to Kentucky and Georgetown in addition to UNC-Greensboro, which offered a chance to play closer to her new home. In addition, Weiss said she developed a positive relationship with second-year coach Sarah Sargent, a former LPGA Tour player who participated in Golf Channel's "Big Break" series.

"She's really trying to build the team around our class," said Weiss, who will enroll in 2014. "It's an exciting team, and she's going to do a lot for the program."

Weiss committed before her senior year and even before the recruiting calendar begins next week. Per NCAA rules, Weiss can receive phone calls and have off-campus contact with coaches starting July 1.

The recruiting process in women's golf has accelerated to the point that many players commit before their senior years. Samantha Wagner, an Easton area native who now lives in Orlando,

Fla., gave a verbal commitment to Florida last year when she was 15.

"So many kids in my class all committed early," Weiss said. "It was stressful to me. So many spots were gone. At some point, I started to freak out and needed to commit."

Weiss will play several AJGA events this summer, including one this week at Penn State, before returning to North Carolina for the North-South Women's Amateur at Pinehurst. She's hoping to lower her scoring average below 70 for her senior year at Pinecrest.

"I grew up playing the courses in the Lehigh Valley, and I know them really well," Weiss said. "It took me awhile to learn the courses in the Southern Pines area. But I'm getting there."

LEHIGH VALLEY WOMEN'S AMATEUR: Stani Schiavone returns to Wedgewood Golf Course on Saturday seeking her seventh consecutive Lehigh Valley Women's Amateur Medal Play title. Schiavone, who helped the University of Mississippi to the NCAA Regionals this spring, is the only player to win the event since it restarted in 2007.

KNOLL MISSES CUT IN OREGON: Alex Knoll, an assistant pro at Bethlehem Golf Club, missed the cut at the PGA Professional National Championship. Knoll shot rounds of 78-79 at Sunriver Resort in Oregon to finish 14-over par.

Matt McKeon, the head pro at Great Bear Golf Club near East Stroudsburg, also missed the cut following rounds of 75-76. The 72-hole tournament concludes Wednesday, with the top 20 finishers earning a spot in the PGA Championship.

JUNIOR QUALIFYING FOR LV OPEN: A junior qualifier for this summer's Lehigh Valley Open will be held July 8 at Northampton Country Club. The medalist will earn a spot in the Lehigh Valley Open, scheduled for July 29-30 at Northampton.

STONEWALL LINKS TO HOST 2016 U.S. MID-AMATEUR: Stonewall Links, a Chester County club with two courses designed by Tom Doak, is the latest Pennsylvania golf facility to get a USGA championship.

Stonewall will host the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur, two years after Saucon Valley holds the event. It will mark the 85th USGA event hosted by a Pennsylvania club and third that year, joining the U.S. Open at Oakmont and the U.S. Women's Amateur at Rolling Green.